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The Minister of State for the United Nations (UN) and Commonwealth has led UK tributes at the funeral of former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon joined His Excellency President Akufo-Addo of Ghana and world leaders at the funeral, held in Accra, where he conveyed condolences on behalf of the UK Government.

Lord Ahmad said:

The whole world has come together to mourn the loss of Kofi Annan. I am honoured to have represented the UK Government and the British people to pay our deep respects. He has left behind an incredible legacy, particularly his work on human rights and justice at the UN.

Whilst in Ghana, Lord Ahmad met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Shirley Botchway. They discussed a number of issues in UK-Ghana relations, including our countries’ visions for the Commonwealth and priority issues for this month’s UN General Assembly. Lord Ahmad also met with Minister of Defence Dominic Nitiwul on regional security and met with Ghana’s new Electoral Commissioner Jean Mensa to hear about Ghana’s preparations for future elections.

Lord Ahmad visited a UK-supported workshop with Ghanaian law enforcement agencies involved in tackling Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking, seeing the practical cooperation between the UK and Ghana, that is helping to bring perpetrators to justice and protect vulnerable people. He also paid a visit to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission in Ghana, reflecting on Ghana’s reputation for religious coexistence and his priorities as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief.

Further information

• Follow Foreign Office Minister Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on Twitter @tariqahmadbt
• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook

International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt joined Secretary of State for Education Damian Hinds and Love Actually director Richard Curtis to launch the Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning programme on Thursday 13 September 2018 at St Joseph’s School in Wandsworth, London.

To mark the launch of the programme – which is co-funded by the British Council and unites pupils in the UK with school children in Africa, Asia and the Middle East – the visitors joined in the ‘World’s Largest Lesson’ , which saw Year 6 students at St Joseph’s link up with pupils at the Marka Prep Girls’ School N2, in the Marka refugee camp in Jordan.

International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said:

The Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning programme is a win for the UK and a win for the developing world. Children and teachers in the participating countries are learning from each other and creating lasting friendships.

I have been really moved to hear the stories of children taking part in the programme learning how much they actually have in common, how alike they are. I also know from my travels, how much teachers in developing countries value the support and knowledge of British teachers.

The Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning programme has been designed to build long-term partnerships between schools and communities in the UK and countries around the world. The previous Connecting Classrooms programme involved more than 5,000 schools working in partnership and reached more than 1 million children between 2015 and 2018. DFID and British Council’s new programme builds on elements of Connecting Classrooms and the Global Learning Programme. It will increase awareness and understanding of global issues and different cultures by reaching a further 3 million pupils for a period of three years.

It will also train 60,000 teachers and school leaders in the UK and developing countries to equip pupils with the knowledge and skills to live and work in a global economy.

The Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning programme is part of an initiative that introduces the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, also known as the Global Goals, to students and teachers in the UK and around the world. The goals are designed to deliver a more sustainable future for all and include tackling hunger, providing clean water and affordable clean energy.

Secretary of State for Education Damian Hinds said:

Today was a great opportunity to see how Connecting Classrooms is making a difference in schools around the world. At St Joseph’s I saw children of different faiths and backgrounds working together and learning from each other. That kind of collaboration is a lesson for us all.

It is absolutely vital that we share the very best of our education system and learn from the very best of others. Only in doing so will we get closer to forging a global understanding of what education can achieve.

Richard Curtis, a UN advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals, also added:

The Global Goals are an ambitious plan to eradicate extreme poverty, tackle the threat of climate change, and end inequality by 2030 so that future generations can live peacefully and sustainably together. It would be a wonderful thing for children to really know about them – to get them in their DNA – so they themselves can be part of the solution. This can’t happen without schools and teachers getting involved because they are so important in giving children perspective on the world they live in.

It’s great to see the UK taking a creative approach to involving our children in the Goals; these school partnerships will encourage children to develop real relationships with others around the world and give them an amazing opportunity to learn from each other and see how the Goals apply to everyone, home and abroad.

During yesterday’s lesson students worked together to share ideas and design the world they would like to live in by the year 2030 – the deadline set for the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals to be achieved. The lesson ended with guests and students making personal pledges of action on what they could do to achieve the Goals.

Sir Ciarán Devane, Chief Executive, British Council, said:

Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning provides our young people with an opportunity to develop the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to thrive in an increasingly global society.

The partnership between St Joseph’s School and Marka Girls’ School N2 in Jordan shows the huge impact these connections can have on pupils, teachers and the local community. We hope schools across the UK and around the world will sign up to take part.

Research has shown that ‘school linking’ can increase the quality of teaching and learning in the schools involved, improving both pupil engagement and teacher motivation.

Notes to editors

• The Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning programme will offer grants to fund visits by UK and developing country teachers to the partner school. Mobile digital platforms (such as WhatsApp and Zoom) will also be used to enable classroom-to-classroom activities between teachers and pupils.
• The scheme is jointly funded and delivered by the British Council who will contribute £17m. DFID will contribute £21m.
• The programme is for children aged between 7-14 yrs. Schools can sign up by going to the British Council’s website and selecting the part of the programme they are interested in, or by emailing schools@britishcouncil.org.

It will operate in the following countries.

What’s the difference between Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning and Connecting Classrooms?

Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning builds on key elements of DFID’s most recent development education programmes: the Global Learning Programme (2013-18) and Connecting Classrooms (2015-18).

From the Global Learning Programme it adopts a focus on global learning and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a wide range of UK schools; a tailored approach to each of the four nations of the UK in order to align with their curricula; encouraging the formation of school clusters in order to achieve economies of scale and improve standards through peer learning; providing funding for supply cover so that teachers can access training; and encouraging local community action in line with the SDGs.

From Connecting Classrooms, it retains a focus on partnerships between schools in the UK and overseas, the provision of high-quality materials through the Schools Online website, advocacy and awareness raising of key educational issues overseas, and accreditation for schools through the International Schools Award (ISA). The programme will also continue to place emphasis on strong monitoring and evaluation.

In addition, Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning contains a number of new elements:

• funding for reciprocal visits, so that overseas teachers can now visit partner schools in the UK, and help bring their country to life for UK pupils providing training to teachers on running equitable and sustainable partnerships;
• the creation of a virtual partnerships platform for schools that are unable to take part in face-to-face partnerships;
• a focus on training overseas teachers to develop their pupils’ skillset for the global economy e.g. entrepreneurial skills;
• encouraging partnered schools to make local progress on an SDG as a shared project;
• teacher training overseas to be aligned with DFID’s 2018 education policy, with a focus on education quality and inclusion;
• accreditation for teachers and mapping other relevant awards for schools (such as UNICEF’s Rights Respecting School Award) to the ISA framework so that schools are duly recognised for their work on development education issues;
• in the UK, building on local community links and utilising local resources such as local NGOs, Development Education Centres, civil society organisations, higher education institutions, businesses, Regional Centres for Expertise, and encouraging Commonwealth Scholars, DFID staff, and returnees from the International Citizen Service and Voluntary Service Overseas programmes to visit local schools and discuss their experiences with pupils; and
• a focus on a smaller number of priority countries, whilst adding Lesotho, given its strong links with Wales.

During August, there were five new detentions of foreign flagged vessels in a UK port, three vessels remained under detention from previous months. A total of three vessels remain under detention at the end of August.

1. In response to one of the recommendations of Lord Donaldson’s inquiry into the prevention of pollution from merchant shipping, and in compliance with the EU Directive on Port State Control (2009/16/EC as amended), the Maritime and Coastguard agency (MCA) publishes details of the foreign flagged vessels detained in UK ports each month.
2. The UK is part of a regional agreement on port state control known as the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (Paris MOU) and information on all ships that are inspected is held centrally in an electronic database known as THETIS. This allows the ships with a high risk rating and poor detention records to be targeted for future inspection.
3. Inspections of foreign flagged ships in UK ports are undertaken by surveyors from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. When a ship is found to be not in compliance with applicable convention requirements, a deficiency may be raised. If any of their deficiencies are so serious they have to be rectified before departure, then the ship will be detained.
4. All deficiencies should be rectified before departure if at all possible.
5. When applicable, the list includes those passenger craft prevented from operating under the provisions of the EU Directive on Mandatory Surveys for the safe operation of regular Ro-Ro ferry and high speed passenger craft services (1999/35/EU).

Notes on the list of detentions

• Full details of the ship.
  The accompanying detention list shows ship’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) number which is unchanging throughout the ship’s life and uniquely identifies it. It also shows the ship’s name and flag state at the time of its inspection.
• Company.
  The company shown in the vessel’s Safety Management Certificate (SMC) or if there is no SMC, then the party otherwise believed to be responsible for the safety of the ship at the time of inspection.
• Classification Society.
  The list shows the Classification Society responsible for classing the ship only.
• Recognised Organisation.
  Responsible for conducting the statutory surveys: and issuing statutory certificates on behalf of the Flag State
• White (WL), Grey (GL) and Black lists (BL) are issued by the Paris MoU on 01 July each year and shows the performance of flag State.

SHIPS DETAINED IN August 2018

Vessel Name: LUZERN

GT: 27900

IMO: 9240794

Flag: Switzerland (White list)

Company: Massoel Shipping

Classification Society: NKK

Recognised Organisation: DNV-GL

Recognised Organisation for ISM Doc: DNV-GL

Recognised Organisation for ISM SMC: DNV-GL

Date and Place of Detention: 7th August 2018 at Belfast

Summary: Six deficiencies with one ground for detention

This vessel was released on 10th August 2018

Vessel Name: VIKINGFJORD

GT: 526

IMO: 7382627

Flag: Norway (White list)

Company: Myklebushhaug Management AS

Classification Society: NA

Recognised Organisation: NA

Recognised Organisation for ISM Doc: BV

Recognised Organisation for ISM SMC: Norway

Date and Place of Detention: 8th August 2018 at Grimsby

Summary: Fourteen deficiencies with Two grounds for detention

This vessel was released on 9th August 2018

Vessel Name: SIEM COMMANDER

GT: 2807

IMO: 9420150

Flag: Norway (White list)

Company: Siem Offshore AS

Classification Society: DNV-GL

Recognised Organisation: DNV-GL

Recognised Organisation for ISM Doc: DNV-GL

Recognised Organisation for ISM SMC: DNV-GL

Date and Place of Detention: 10th August 2018 at Falmouth

Summary: Six deficiencies with three grounds for detention

This vessel was released on 12th August 2018

Vessel Name: TUNGOR

GT: 7138

IMO: 9570638

Flag: Liberia (White list)

Company: Fenco- West Ltd

Classification Society: BV

Recognised Organisation: BV

Recognised Organisation for ISM Doc: RMRS

Recognised Organisation for ISM SMC: Liberia

Date and Place of Detention: 13th August 2018 at Ellesmere Port

Summary: Ten deficiencies with two grounds for detention

This vessel was released on 23rd August 2018

Vessel Name: H&S PRUDENCE

GT: 1556

IMO: 9226188

Flag: Netherlands (White list)

Company: EEMS Werken

Classification Society: BV

Recognised Organisation: BV

Recognised Organisation for ISM Doc: BV

Recognised Organisation for ISM SMC: BV

Date and Place of Detention: 13th August 2018 at Immingham

Summary: Twelve deficiencies with one ground for detention

This vessel was released on 23rd August 2018

DETENTIONS CARRIED OVER FROM PREVIOUS MONTHS

Vessel Name: POSEIDON

GT: 1412

IMO: 7363217

Flag: Iceland (White list)

Company: Neptune EHF

Classification Society: NA

Recognised Organisation: NA

Recognised Organisation for ISM Doc: DNV-GL

Recognised Organisation for ISM SMC: DNV-GL

Date and Place of Detention: 19th July 2018 at Hull

Summary: Ten deficiencies with two grounds for detention

This vessel was still detained on 31st August 2018

Vessel Name: TECOIL POLARIS

GT: 1814

IMO No: 8883290

Flag: Russian Federation (Grey list)

Company: Tecoil Shipping Ltd

Classification Society: RMRS

Recognised Organisation: RMRS

Recognised Organisation for ISM DOC: RMRS

Recognised Organisation for ISM SMC: RMRS

Date and Place of Detention: 6th June 2018 at Immingham

Summary: Twenty-Seven deficiencies with eight grounds for detentions

This vessel was still detained on 31st August 2018

Vessel Name: CIEN PORCIENTO (General Cargo)

GT: 106.

IMO No: 8944446.

Flag: Unregistered.

Company: Open Window Inc.

Classification Society: Unclassed.

Recognised Organisation: Not applicable.

Recognised Organisation for ISM DOC: Not applicable.

Recognised Organisation for ISM SMC: Not applicable

Date and Place of detention: 4 March 2010, Lowestoft

Summary: Thirty deficiencies including seven grounds for detention

This vessel was still detained on 31st August 2018

Notes to Editors
• The MCA is a partner in the Sea Vision UK campaign to raise awareness and understanding of the sea and maritime activities. Sea Vision promotes the importance and economic value of the sector and works to highlight the exciting range of activities and career opportunities available to young people within the UK growing maritime sector at www.seavision.org.uk

• Follow us on Twitter: @MCA_media

For further information please contact
Maritime and Coastguard Agency Press Office, on:
+44 (0) 2380 329 401
Press releases and further information about the agency is available here.

The UK is scaling up its support in north-west Syria to meet emergency humanitarian needs in the face of threats of an imminent military offensive by the Asad regime and Russia. In the last week alone, there have been reports of airstrikes against four medical facilities in north-west Syria.

The Syria crisis, now in its eighth year, has left over 400,000 dead and forced half of Syria’s population to flee their homes.

Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt said:

I am deeply concerned by the escalating military action in Idlib, including reported attacks on a number of hospitals and clinics. In the last couple of years, the Syrian regime and its Russian backers have repeatedly hidden behind the rationale of confronting terrorism to launch brutal, indiscriminate campaigns, killing countless children and civilians in the process. If they do the same in Idlib, they will cause a human disaster that could leave thousands dead and many more homeless.

The UK has been clear that a man-made catastrophe in Idlib is entirely avoidable. We support the urgent diplomatic efforts being made by Turkey and the UN. The Syrian regime and its supporters, Russia and Iran, must uphold the ceasefire they have previously agreed and respect international humanitarian law.

The situation for the three million people in Idlib is already very difficult and risks becoming much worse. Half of those people have already had to flee from elsewhere in Syria, and the last few days have seen thousands more people leave their homes. Today’s UK aid package will save lives by helping to prevent the spread of deadly disease and provide shelter for those that have had to leave everything behind.

The package, from the UK Department for International Development, will support over a quarter of a million people in north-west Syria. Delivered by UN agencies, NGOs and local organisations, it aims to:

• provide clean water and sanitation for some of the most vulnerable families that have had to flee their homes;
• support doctors and nurses that are tackling the spread of deadly diseases and treating those with trauma injuries;
• give shelter to those that have been displaced by the conflict; and
• provide mental health services to children and adults that have lived through the horrors of war.

Since the crisis started, the UK is the second largest humanitarian donor to the response inside Syria and has committed £2.71 billion since 2012, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.

Today’s package is in addition to the UK’s existing humanitarian assistance in north-west Syria. During the previous financial year, our support in Idlib Governorate has provided 654,000 people with access to clean drinking water, immunised nearly a million children under the age of five and helped over 300,000 children access education.

Notes to editors

• The UK’s Department for International Development UK is providing £32 million of additional aid to meet emergency needs in Idlib and the surrounding areas.
• £17 million will support emergency preparedness, provided by NGOs and UN agencies, including UNICEF, WHO and UNFPA.
• The remaining £15m will go to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) Turkey Humanitarian Fund to meet emergency needs in north-west Syria.

ENDS

The Charity Commission has today published a statement of the results of its pre-inquiry and class inquiry work into “double defaulter” charities between April 2017 – March 2018.

Double defaulters are charities that have defaulted on their statutory obligations to meet reporting requirements by failing to file their annual documents for two or more times in the last five years.

The compliance work involved 80 charities and found that:

• Approximately £25 million of charity income relating to 56 charities has been accounted for as a result of the Commission’s pre inquiry and inquiry work during this period
• A further 24 charities were found to have ceased to exist or did not operate and were therefore removed from the register of charities
• The class inquiry also exercised statutory powers to freeze over £50,000 of unprotected charity funds
• Further enforcement action is being taken against 5 charities, which were part of the class inquiry during this period, as a result of additional regulatory concerns and/or pe.rsistent defaulting. These are each now subject to separate inquiries into their governance and activities

Harvey Grenville, Head of Investigations and Enforcement at the Charity Commission for England and Wales, said:

The public deserve to be able to understand how their donations are being spent, and see clearly that they go towards their intended causes.

This vital work has ensured compliance issues in over 50 charities have been addressed resulting in over £24 million of charity income now being accounted for. By exercising our powers to protect over £50,000 of charity funds at risk, we demonstrated the robust intervention the public would expect.

Trustees of registered charities with an annual income of over £25,000 are under a clear legal duty to ensure that their charity’s accounts and annual returns are submitted to us on time.

Too many trustees are still failing to file on time or properly notify us when a charity has been wound up. This report should serve as a reminder to other trustees that failure to comply with these duties is regarded as mismanagement by the Commission and can result in regulatory action against a charity or its trustees. Trustees who persistently breach this duty and are unwilling to mend their ways face the very real threat of removal or disqualification.

The full report is available on GOV.UK.

Ends

Notes to editors

1. The Charity Commission is the regulator of charities in England and Wales. To find out more about our work see the about us page on GOV.UK.
2. Search for charities on our check charity tool.
3. Under the pre-inquiry stage, charities are issued with a final warning before being placed into the class inquiry. This final warning resulted in 28 charities making good on their default prior to the deadline specified in the final warning.

The country’s first ever specialist centre to open up access to the countryside for wheelchair users and those with mobility needs as well as disabled and able-bodied horse riders, cyclists and walkers was launched today at Oxfordshire’s Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve.

The new National Land Access Centre, located in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, has been designed to demonstrate the use, maintenance and installation of gaps, gates and stiles meeting the new British Standard for improved countryside access.

The centre has been developed by Natural England, in partnership with The British Horse Society, Centrewire and the Pittecroft Trust, to ensure those who usually struggle with access to the countryside can access the natural environment and enjoy England’s beautiful countryside.

Natural England research shows there are around 519 million visits to paths, cycleways and bridleways in England each year.

However, mobility issues can be a major barrier to people heading to the countryside. Over 20% of England’s population cannot use public rights of way, either because they cannot use stiles or kissing gates themselves, or they are accompanying someone who can’t.

Deputy Chair of Natural England Lord Blencathra said:

This project is the culmination of many years of partnership working and determination to ensure that our countryside can rightfully be enjoyed by everyone.

Improved access will help to connect more people with their natural environment, giving them a chance to enjoy our countryside, its open space and fascinating wildlife– all key aspects of the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan.

I am delighted that Natural England has played a key role in the partnership responsible for developing the National Land Access Centre, which has the potential to make such a difference to people’s lives.

Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work Sarah Newton said:

Getting out into the countryside is an experience that many of us take for granted, but for disabled people it can often be much more difficult to access nature. The National Land Access Centre will play an important role in ensuring everyone can enjoy the outstanding natural beauty our country has to offer.

John Cuthbertson, Chairman for the Disabled Ramblers, said:

I’m over the moon at the spirit of co-ordination and co-operation which has led to the development of the new National Land Access Centre.

Open access has got the ability to transform lives. We look forward to using the centre to test the new structures, helping to shape the future of access to the countryside.

Mark Weston, Director of Access for The British Horse Society, said:

We’re very pleased to see the launch of the new National Land Access Centre, which builds on recommendations of the Bridlegate Trial started in partnership with Natural England in 2015.

The Centre will help to ensure the new British Standard becomes a reality, securing safe open access to the countryside not only for horse riders but for all users of the outdoors.

Today’s launch of the National Land Access Centre also marks the 60th anniversary of Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve, one of the first National Nature Reserves in the country to offer wider public access.

Since 1994, members of the public have actively been encouraged to explore the reserve through the removal of unnecessary stiles, gates and fences and the installation of easy-access gates. This is key to the National Nature Reserve Strategy, itself a year old in September, which seeks to see England’s nature restored, enriched and reconnected to people.

Landowners, land managers, rights of way officers and other users will be able to book onto training courses at the National Land Access Centre to aid understanding of the new standard and its application. This will involve testing new equipment with a view to installing it across the nation.

The British Standard 5709:2018 for Gaps, Gates and Stiles requires ‘the least restrictive option’ to be made available to users. Its implementation will help ensure that everyone can access and enjoy the countryside.

Visitors to the centre will be able to access specialist equipment, try out new designs and touch and test real examples in situ to fully understand this new equipment in operation. They can learn about its installation and maintenance, and see what compliance with the British Standard looks like in practice.

More information is available about Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve, Oxfordshire’s National Nature Reserves and the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The UK Government has today (13 Sept) announced that the Welsh Government will receive additional funding of £23.5m as a result of the Department for Education’s decision to increase pay for teachers in England and Wales.

Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns today confirmed that the Welsh Government will receive £8.7m in 2018/19 and £14.8m in 2019/20, representing the cost of the pay award for teachers in Wales.

This is in recognition of the unique devolution circumstances for teacher’s pay in Wales, where setting pay is a reserved matter whilst meeting of the costs of the award is devolved.

Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said:

I am delighted to confirm today that teachers in Wales will soon be seeing an increase to their pay packets with the additional funding we are delivering for the Welsh Government.

Today’s announcement underlines the UK Government’s commitment to the fair application of the rules underpinning the Welsh Government’s funding. I hope that this will go some way in providing the Welsh Government with the additional levers to be able to attract and retain the teachers Wales needs to educate its young people.

The Welsh Government will take responsibility for setting teachers’ pay in Wales from October 2018 when they will have the power to determine the future pay and conditions of teachers in Wales for academic years 2019/20 onwards.

Today’s announcement follows the multi-billion NHS staff pay deal announced in by the UK Government in March which is expected to deliver more than £1.3bn a year for the Welsh Government by 2022/23.